£23m 'Parachutes' And 'Embarrassing' Sackings

By ForestLast updated : 20 March 2013

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Richard Bevan, chief executive of the League Managers' Association, has described the 33 sackings made by Premier League and Football League clubs this season as an 'embarrassment'.

"I'm not sure where the arrogance of football comes from that we don't have to behave as any other industry," he told BBC Radio 4 in the wake of Blackburn's decision to axe Michael Appleton after little over two months in charge.

Forest, of course, have contributed two sackings to the total in the shape of Sean O'Driscoll and Alex McLeish so is Mr Bevan right or do managers live and die by the sword?

Appleton, after all, had opted to leave jobs at Portsmouth and then Blackpool to go to Ewood Park so it could be argued that loyalty cuts both ways.

The Reds, meanwhile, were represented at a meeting of Championship clubs on Wednesday at which the Premier League outlined plans to make parachute payments of £23m to relegated clubs in the wake of a new television deal.

With the remaining clubs in the division receiving a 'solidarity' payment of £2.3m it is easy to see why the top-flight remains the promised land and also why there are so many managerial sackings in the lower divisions.